4TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING REMARKS BY NMA AND NARD PRESIDENT PRESIDENT DR FADUYILE ON 21/06/2019

• A WELCOME ADDRESS BY DR. FRANCIS FADUYILE, NMA PRESIDENT ON THE OCCASION OF 4TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF DTOF WITH A THEME: PUTTING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE FRONT BURNER: CURBING THE MENANCE OF DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IN NIGERIA.*

  
  

   

  
  

  It gives me great pleasure today to once again welcome you to another anniversary of DTOF. Just last year, I sent in my opening remarks and as if it was yesterday, here we are again in another year; we therefore need to thank our creator, the Almighty for keeping us all alive and making us to continue to enjoy good health. 

  
  

  There have been a lot of issues bothering us in the last 12 months as well as many resolutions and activities that we have jointly embarked upon. Today is another day to call on ourselves to reflect on these and to reaffirm our commitment to upholding the tradition of medicine - our noble profession and reaffirming ourselves to the sustainability of this profession. 

  
  

  The theme of this year’s anniversary is very important and timely as the present situation in Nigeria has caused the stress level of our people to be unusually higher. The insensitivities of our leaders towards the plight of the populace (which includes medical and dental practitioners) in the area of security, lack of opportunity to earn good livelihood, unemployment, irregular payment of salaries, non provision of essential services within our workplace, job security, nagging agitations within the health sector professionals amongst others. These are some of the stressors that we as medical and dental professionals face day in, day out. 

  
  

  Practising our noble profession with weight of these stressors on our neck coupled with lack of appreciation of our selfless services tend to tilt medical practitioners into depression and suicidal tendencies in some cases. It is therefore our duties to look on ways of alleviating these stressors amongst ourselves and how to improve the lives of  individual medical practitioners. "Physicians heal thyself".  I salute you for the foresight in creating this forum where discussions like this can take place.

  
  

  On the part of NMA, we are committed to continue to improve harmony within our workplace environment so as to drastically reduce if not eradicate inter/intraprofessional disharmony bothering us in our workplace environment. We have been able to closely associate with the NANNM and in advanced stage of getting the PSN to complete the tripod. We need your active participation and support in this respect. 

  Also on the part of enhancing security at workplace,  a two day symposium in partnership with an NGO on workplace security for both health workers and the patients alike will be rolled out all over the country within the next few weeks. We are enjoined to participate fully in it.

  
  

  The NMA with the NARD has also been pursuing vigorously the full implementation of Residency Training Act which we believe if fully implemented will remove one of the greatest stressor for resident doctors.  Prompt payment of salary and other emoluments of our members are also pursued vigorously in the appropriate quarters.

  
  

  While waiting for the full discussions of the theme for this year's anniversary by the guest speaker, I urge us all to have positive outlook to difficulties confronting us in order to raise pragmatic suggestions of how to resolve them.

  
  

  Finally, I wish to enjoin us all to continue to be law abiding, diligent, vigilant, loyal and pay good allegiance to our country Nigeria (which is the only country we have).

  
  

  Have a successful anniversary celebration. 

  
  

   

  
  

  Dr. Francis A Faduyile

  
  

  NMA President

  
  
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• SPEECH ON THE 2019 COMMEMORATION OF THE DOCTORS’ TIME OUT FAMILY

  
  

  The Convener and the family,

  
  

  It gives me great feelings to write this short note on the celebration of the fourth-year anniversary of the Doctor’s Time Out Family which has metamorphosed into a platform that touches the lives of Nigerians across all geopolitical zones in the country, through her various initiatives. It is also heartwarming to observe that the platform is gaining the needed traction to self-propagate.

  
  

  Life is good when we all try to live with tolerance and harmony. Tolerance on one hand gives us opportunity to adapt to each other’s differences and learn another way of communal existence while harmony makes such co-existence worthwhile. These are attributes that are rarely observed in today’s Nigeria but by conscious efforts of the various arms of this group, tolerance and harmony are preserved and this gives an assurance of a better tomorrow.

  
  

  The theme of this year’s event is instructive as there is need for collective action to stem the tide of suicide in our society. At the root of suicide is depression and other mental illnesses and it requires more than clinical ideation to curb the menace. We must continue to advocate for better economy, security, social order, verity, nutrition while creating awareness of the scourge so that those with early symptoms of suicidal tendencies could seek timely help.

  
  

  The National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria identifies with the convener and all family members who coincidentally are her members, in reality or by heart. I pray for continuous growth of this initiative for the betterment of mankind.

  
  

  Devotedly,

  Dr Olusegun Israel Olaopa

  President, National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (2018/2019)

  June 23, 2019.